US Treasury Secretary Scott Besent said in an interview with NBC News that Moscow will not receive more than $2 billion in additional income from easing sanctions on Russian oil.
According to Besant, Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Russian and Iranian oil will allow countries other than China – including Japan and South Korea – to purchase this oil, while preventing prices from rising to $150 per barrel and reducing the total revenues that Iran and Russia will receive.
In response to the journalist’s observation that Besant had previously supported the imposition of sanctions, he asked her a question: “What is better than waiting until a barrel of oil rises to $150 and they get 70% of this amount, or $105?” [долларов]Or if the oil price remains below 100 [долларов]Will they get less money?
Besant estimated the maximum additional income for Russia at $2 billion in one day from the country’s budget.
After the outbreak of a new war in the Middle East, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which up to a fifth of all seaborne oil exports pass. Prices rose sharply (to their highest levels since 2022), and in mid-March the United States eased sanctions, allowing the temporary purchase of Russian oil loaded on tankers until March 12 and at sea. Later, sanctions on Iranian oil were temporarily lifted in the same manner.